IPA 395 | Mammoth Brewing Company

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Reviews by CrunchyGuero:

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Can a beer improve depending on the location where it's consumed? I've had this somewheres in the bay area, probably purchased at a bevmo, and it wasn't anything memorable. But recently I had a bottle of 395 IPA on the deck of the Whoa Nellie Deli in Lee Vining, just 100 yards or so away from highway 395 itself, overlooking Mono Lake at dusk with wild buffalo meatloaf for dinner. The gate to Tioga Pass just opened earlier in the week and Mt. Conness, tomorrow's destination, was still loaded with snow. The sage and juniper aroma of the beer mixed with the scent of sagebrush on the air with each sip. This beer isn't a hop bomb altogether, there's enough malt to sink your teeth into. The Eastern Sierra is some amazing land and on that evening this was the perfect beer. Is this what the French mean by terroir?

A much different IIPA than I expected. Pours hazy orange-copper with not much of a head. The aroma is very nice. The expected orange, grapefruit, caramel, and pine notes, but mixed with the sweetness of the sage and juniper. The taste follows this theme. All of the IIPA hop tastes are up front, but then mix towards the back with the sage and juniper, giving it a sweet and long finish. A very nice change of pace.

pours out a dark red with a bit of orange. one finger of soapy off white head with pretty decent retention. quite a bit of sticky lace. slightly murky.

spices and a bit of honey sweetness at the forefront. a bit of cinnamon, herbal, floral, and some other christmasy spices. the aroma is almost identical to great lakes christmas ale.

the begining of the taste follows the aroma, a bit sweet with lots of spice. cinnamon, honey, christmasy spices. citrus, herbal hops with some decent bitterness. kind of a spicy almost chile like finish.

medium bodied, carb feels good for the style. some lingering hop bitterness, but not as much as you might expect in a double ipa.

very drinkable, was surprised that this was 8%. a very interesting take on such a popular style. reminds me of a hopped up version of great lakes christmas ale. i recommend you try this.

Damn Mammoth makes some good hoppy beers! This one is a good shade of brown on the pour. Aroma is amazingly piney. Its like the Tahoe forest or Yosemite up in a 22oz bottle!

Taste = exquisite. More pine, still a good amount of the citrus hops. Hops dominate, despite the dark appearance and toasting of the malt here.

Mouthfeel, good, but could have been higher if not for the tendency of the beer to seem a little flat down the line. Very drinkable, but you have to watch out, this can be drank a little quick for an 8%

Really important to get this one fresh, even just a few hundred miles from the source, I've come across some compromised bottles I wouldn't rate nearly this high.

I was very intrigued after reading the bottle while perusing the shelves at my local bottle shop. It says they use juniper and sage, along with local hops, in this one. Well, it definitely shines through and not in a pleasant way.

Appearance is typical of the style. Smell offers a glimpse of the unpleasantness to come. Very strange, off-putting aroma of wild flora (I guess that's the juniper and sage).

Taste is very unpleasant. I got a few sips down and had had enough. Imagine gathering some very wild, very dry sage, juniper leaves, and hops, and then soaking them in sugary water... that is what this beer tasted like.

I don't remember what the mouthfeel was like, as the awful taste dominated all else, so I'll just call the mouthfeel average.

I'd heard where this beer had given some others a bad headache. After only several sips, I felt it start to go to work on my cranium. Down the drain it went, and fast.

Very disappointed. I like the bottle, the description, the thought and the effort, but the beer was not good at all.

The last beer I reviewed was almost exactly one year ago today. Somehow seeing the score for this, I felt compelled to add my 2 cents - here they are:

Had this on-tap several places in Mammoth over the years. The quality ranges from the shitty Whiskey Creek, with their corroded tap lines; to the pub at the main lodge at Mammoth Mt, where it was as fresh and clean as possible. When it's good, it's great. I think the stock moves out so quickly in the wee village, that you're as likely to get a bottle of it as fresh as any place.

Color-wise: looks like a DIPA: dark and a bit beefy with the froth of a well-groomed IPA. There is the spices in the nose and the taste that throws some people off. I get that. BUT - I like it. It's made with sage and juniper - not necessarily something you expect from an IPA or DIPA.

Whether it is a DIPA or IPA - it doesn't fit to style. I'm not judging it on that (I don't think it's a DIPA - as listed here). It's unique and when fresh - quite delicious. Worth a try, even for the extreme hopheads.

A - Amberish brown and murky - very odd for the style and dark for the style but it's brewed with Sage and Juniper so I'm guessing that has a lot to do with it. Decent head retention

S - Pine, Sage, citrus hops and smells pungent like this beer will be sticky and resinous. It's also earthy and it smells somewhat spicy as well.

T - Follows nose exactly but add a cinnamon component here is what I'm picking up as what I described as spicy in the nose. The malt bill backs this beer up pretty good to note, as it still holds it's hops well over a couple months without getting too sweet. The Sage is a bit overpowering however and could be toned down some while toning the citrus qualities up some. But that's just me. I think the brewer achieved what he was going for as this beer is supposed to showcase the sage and juniper along with the hops highlighting HWY 395. They are all there.

M - All flavors molded well into a resinous and sticky mouthfeel which I like in my DIPAs. Sagish Dank.

D - Solid - not too hard to polish off a bomber.

I recommend this beer as a must try even if just once as this is probably the most unique twist on the style I've had from a Cali DIPA. Enjoyable. If you don't like Sage, you won't like this beer.

A: Pours a dark amber color with a one finger egg-shell white head. Decent retention with lacing all around the glass.

S: Now that's a bit different. Lots of juniper and sage with some piney hops underneath. Would have liked the hop aromas to be a bit stronger compared to the juniper and sage, but I still like how this one smells.

T: Similar to the aroma but a bit more balanced. More sage and juniper with a bit more pine and faint citrus fruits. There is also some grassy hops.

M: Medium bodied, maybe a tad light for a DIPA, but easy drinking. No abv, but slightly medicinal.

O: A different take on a DIPA. Not as hoppy as most, but I actually quite enjoyed it. Would certainly recommend it.

S- If you enjoy the eastern sierra or great basin outdoors you have to try this beer. The juniper and sage jump out at you and instantly take you to your favorite great basin outdoors location. A delight to smell

T- the juniper and sage are still present but balance well with the fruity hop essence making a well rounded IPA. Does not drink like a strong I-IPA. Not a hop bomb, it may be misclassified.

M- Good typical IPA mouthfeel.

D- If you enjoy the sage and juniper you can go back to this brew time and again. My favorite Mammoth brew.

At Tunnel Creek cafe in Tahoe and having a 395 with my hot pastrami sandwich. The beer poured a nice amber with white head and lace. The scent is floral in nature....i think I smell hibiscus but not sure if that is right. The taste also carries a floral base...again like hibiscus...and finishes dry. Just read the bottle its sage and juniper berries. The Mouthfeel is medium in body with good carbonation. Overall it's quite nice.